Weatherproof cover

ABSTRACT

A protective garment, such as a raincoat or windbreaker has an attached accessory extending from the shoulder region between backpack straps for covering the backpack and shedding precipitation such as snow and rain. The garment accessory includes a flexible planar material coupled in a water shedding engagement with a rear facing portion (back) of the garment, such that the flexible planar material is adapted to shed water over a created void adjacent the rear facing portion, the void resulting from a backpack or other load suspended from straps extending over a shoulder portion of the outerwear above the coupling. A slot in the rear facing portion is adapted to receive the deformed flexible planar material when not deployed over the void, and a zippered receptacle or pouch on an opposed side of the rear facing portion is in communication with the slot for receiving the deformed flexible planar material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 62/515,143, filed Jun. 5, 2017, entitled “PROTECTIVE GARMENT,” incorporated herein by reference in entirety.

BACKGROUND

Ambulatory travelers have adopted various devices to shield precipitation and prevent absorption of water through to clothing. Raincoats, umbrellas, boots, tents and the like seek to impose a repellant barrier between a wearer/user and the flow of downward precipitation to direct the accumulation of water away from personal articles and clothing.

SUMMARY

An outerwear garment for inclement weather employs a cover or shield on the back of the garment for protecting and shedding rain and snow from the wearer's backpack. Just as a hood protect the wearer's head from precipitation, the disclosed cover provides a flexible planar surface attached at the base of the collar for draping over and shielding a backpack suspended from the wearer's shoulders. The flexible planar surface is a waterproof or water resistant textile, polymer or rubber material attached between the shoulders just below a conventional rain hood. A zippered pouch contains the folded cover in a pocket inside the garment (jacket or raincoat) when not in use. Resilient tethers help secure the cover around the waistline to prevent cover dislodgement and blowing or dripping water. While often employed in conjunction with a hood, it is not necessary.

Configurations herein are based, in part, on the observation that back supported appliances or containers are often employed for hands-free transport of personal articles such as books, laptops, mobile devices, food and beverages, clothing and other commonplace but beneficial items. Such a container often takes the form of a backpack, a soft-sided textile containment having straps for suspension from the shoulders of a wearer. Unfortunately, conventional approaches to backpack deployment suffer from the shortcoming that the textile nature of the backpack material renders the contents vulnerable to precipitation. While users often employ hooded jackets to shield their head and body from rain and snow, backpack contents often suffer, either from direct precipitation absorption through the textile material, or seepage through unsealed closures such as zippers, snaps and hood-and-loop (e.g. VELCRO®) arrangements. Further, in colder environments, falling snow tends to build up on surfaces, defeating natural water-shedding shapes, textures or angles. The infiltrating water can damage electronic and paper goods therein.

Accordingly, configurations herein substantially overcome the shortcomings of conventional outerwear garments by providing a flexible planar surface adapted to surround and shield a back worn appliance or container such as a backpack. While conventional outerwear garments such as raincoats employ a hood to shield and redirect water from the wearer's head, configurations herein dispose the flexible planar surface attached as a shield just below the hood to drape over a backpack or other back-worn appliance. The shield is constructed of waterproof or water-resistant materials, such as rubber, polymer or a coated textile, and may be comprised from the same material as the outerwear garment. Elastic tethers such as bands, straps or similar arrangement draw the distal regions of the shield around the backpack to resist wind-blown and dripping precipitation. In this manner, backpack contents remain shielded from inclement weather just as the wearer of the protective garment (e.g. raincoat or rain jacket).

In further detail, configurations herein provide a weather protective garment for both a user and a backpack comprising a flexible planar material, or cover, coupled in a water shedding engagement with a rear facing portion of an outerwear garment such as a raincoat or rain jacket. The flexible planar material is adapted to shed water over a created void adjacent the rear facing portion, such that the void results from a backpack load suspended from straps extending over a shoulder portion of the outerwear above the coupling. A zippered slot, or aperture, in the rear facing portion is adapted to receive the deformed flexible planar material when not deployed over the void, and a receptacle or pocket on an opposed side of the rear facing portion defines a pocket in communication with the aperture for receiving the deformed flexible planar material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the outerwear garment;

FIG. 2 is shows the garment of FIG. 1 with the flexible planar material deployed over a backpack;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the outerwear garment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the deployed flexible planar material of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows an inside view of the garment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 shows the cover attachment to the garment as in FIGS. 1-5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Configurations below implement the protective garment, such as a raincoat or windbreaker having an attached accessory (cover) extending from the shoulder region between backpack straps for covering the backpack and shedding precipitation such as snow, slush and rain. The garment accessory includes a flexible planar material coupled in a water shedding engagement with a rear facing portion (back) of an outerwear garment, such that the flexible planar material is adapted to shed water over a created void adjacent the rear facing portion, the void resulting from a backpack or other load suspended from straps extending over a shoulder portion of the outerwear above the coupling.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the outerwear garment. The outerwear garment 100 (garment) generally has a similar appearance to a conventional jacket, raincoat, windbreaker or similar outerwear. Often the garment 100 has a hood 110. The cover is accessible through an aperture 120 and a closure 112 such as a zipper, Velcro or similar selective opening. In a non-deployed state, the cover is stored behind the closed aperture 120. The garment 100 may also have one or more vents 102 for providing airflow to a receptacle or pocket 152 (FIG. 5). The vents are disposed in the region obscured by the flexible planar material and adapted for permitting airflow to the retracted cover when the closure 112 is sealed. The vents 102 in the receptacle permit airflow and evaporation of moisture from the flexible planar material.

FIG. 2 is shows the garment of FIG. 1 with the flexible planar material, or cover 150, deployed over a backpack 140. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, straps 142-1, 142-2 (142 generally) extend over the shoulders on alternate sides of the hood 110 covering the wearer's head (alternatively, the hood need not be drawn over the head). The cover 150 extends from the aperture 120 where it attaches or couples to the garment 100 at an interior or seam of a pocket, shown below in FIG. 5. In the example configuration, the aperture is an elongated slot extending horizontally across an upper portion of the deployed garment and defines a width of the void for covering the backpack, thus ensuring that the cover is sufficiently wide. The flexible nature of the cover allows it to be unfolded and extended around the backpack 140. The width is based on a width of a backpack defining the back-carried load. As discussed further below, the flexible, resilient nature of the cover 150 also allows it to fan out and wrap around the backpack as well. The coupling is a water repelling seam adapted to receive water from a hooded region and the shoulder region and direct the water along the outer surface of the flexible planar material. Precipitation falling on the hood and shoulder region drips over the seam 126 at a upper side of the aperture. A continuous, waterproof or water shedding seam 126 allows water to run off the hood/shoulder region and onto the cover without entering the aperture 120 where it would flow to the wearer and their clothing. The cover 150 has a distal end 153 extending to a lower region of the backpack 140, where elastic tethers 155 secure the cover 150. The resilient, elastic tethers attach to the flexible planar material and are adapted for elastic engagement around the load. Although the cover 150 tends to drape over the backpack 140, the tethers 155 can resiliently bind the cover against wind and rapid user movement.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the outerwear garment of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the garment 100 has the general appearance of a rainjacket or windbreaker. The hood 110, while contributing to the overall user comfort and dryness, need not be installed or engaged to permit functionality of the cover 150.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the deployed flexible planar material of FIGS. 1-3. Even if the hood 110 is in a collapsed or undeployed position, the seam 126 operates to divert water over the aperture and down the cover 150. Further, the tethers 155 draw the cover 150 for encircling a side region 151 to more fully enclose the backpack 140 or other load.

FIG. 5 shows an inside view of the garment of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the pocket 152 is disposed on the interior of the garment 100 for allowing concealed stowage of the cover 150 when not in use. The pocket 152 occupies an opposed side of the elongated slot 120, and has an interior accessible through the elongated slot 120 and is adapted to receive the flexible planar material when deformed into a folded shape.

FIG. 6 shows the cover attachment to the garment as in FIGS. 1-5. Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the cover 150 attaches to an upper side of the aperture defined by a seam 126, or coupling. The seam 126 resists dripping water 180 so that it may be shed down and over the exterior facing of the cover. The coupling may be defined by a water repelling seam, molding or adhesive adapted to receive water from a hooded region and the shoulder region and direct the water along the outer surface of the flexible planar material for defining a continuous flow off the hood and shoulder of the wearer over the void and extending to a region near the wearers lower back or waist for expelling water away from the wearer, and for protecting the backpack and contents. The closure 122 along the elongated slot provides a sealing engagement of a deformed flexible planar material following retraction into the storage pocket 152. A flap 127 or fabric strip may overhang the seam 126 to gravitationally divert the dripping water over the aperture so that water does not leak inside the pocket 152. The seam 126 and flap 127 form a water shedding system to prevent dripping or wind-blown precipitation from entering through the aperture 120. The vents 102 allow airflow into the pocket 152 for evaporation and drying of the stowed cover 150′.

While the system and methods defined herein have been particularly shown and described with references to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective garment, comprising: a flexible planar material coupled in a water shedding engagement with a rear facing portion of an outerwear garment, the flexible planar material adapted to shed water over a created void adjacent the rear facing portion, the void resulting from a load suspended from straps extending over a shoulder portion of the outerwear above the coupling; an aperture in the rear facing portion adapted to receive the deformed flexible planar material when not deployed over the void; and a receptacle on an opposed side of the rear facing portion, the receptacle in communication with the aperture for receiving the deformed flexible planar material.
 2. The garment of claim 1 wherein the coupling is a water repelling seam adapted to receive water from a hooded region and the shoulder region and direct the water along the outer surface of the flexible planar material.
 3. The garment of claim 2 further comprising a vent in the receptacle for permitting airflow and evaporation of moisture from the flexible planar material.
 4. The garment of claim 1 wherein the aperture is an elongated slot extending horizontally across an upper portion of the deployed garment and defining a width of the void.
 5. The garment of claim 4 wherein the width is based on a width of a backpack defining the load.
 6. The garment of claim 4 further comprising a pocket on an opposed side of the elongated slot, the pocket having an interior accessible through the elongated slot and adapted to receive the flexible planar material when deformed into a folded shape.
 7. The garment of claim 1 further comprising a closure along the elongated slot for providing a sealing engagement of a deformed flexible planar material following retraction into the storage pocket.
 8. The garment of claim 1 further comprising resilient tethers attached to the flexible planar material, the resilient tethers adapted for elastic engagement around the load.
 9. The garment of claim 1 further comprising a vent disposed in the region obscured by the flexible planar material and adapted for permitting airflow.
 10. A method for shielding a back-mounted load from precipitation, comprising: attaching a flexible planar material coupled in a water shedding engagement to a rear facing portion of an outerwear garment, the flexible planar material adapted to shed water over a created void adjacent the rear facing portion, the void resulting from a load suspended from straps extending over a shoulder portion of the outerwear above the coupling; removing the flexible planar material from an aperture in the rear facing portion adapted to receive the deformed flexible planar material when not deployed over the void, the aperture providing passage to a receptacle on an opposed side of the rear facing portion, the receptacle in communication with the aperture for receiving the deformed flexible planar material; and extending the flexible planar material around the suspended load.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the coupling is a water repelling seam adapted to receive water from a hooded region and the shoulder region and direct the water along the outer surface of the flexible planar material.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the aperture is an elongated slot extending horizontally across an upper portion of the deployed garment and defining a width of the void.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the width is based on a width of a backpack defining the load.
 14. The method of claim 10 further comprising extending resilient tethers attached to the flexible planar material, the resilient tethers adapted for elastic engagement around the load. 